On Sunday morning, 21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying his visa. The rapper is from the United Kingdom, and in a statement released shortly after his arrest, ICE claims he was "unlawfully present" inside the U.S., as well as a "convicted felon," based on drug charges in Fulton County, Georgia from 2014. He is currently be held by ICE and there's a chance that he will be deported soon.
The news was recounted by Variety, who noted that the reveal of 21 Savage's British identity came as a great surprise to both fans and collaborators. It was assumed that 21 Savage, whose legal name is Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was an Atlanta local== particularly considering his work and performances with local rappers in the area, including T.I., Lil Yachty, Migos and Ludacris.It was a big weekend for Atlanta, since the Super Bowl took place in their fair city on Sunday night. Surely, nobody expected the big day to be met with ICE on the verge of deporting 21 Savage from the U.S.
According to Brian Cox, ICE spokesperson, 21 Savage first entered the United States in 2005, and his visa expired only a year later. It wasn't renewed and he has been living in the United States under illegal circumstances, according to ICE, and he is reportedly still being held in detention at this time.
Meanwhile, Dina LaPolt, 21 Savage's attorney, is currently working hard to free her client from detention and regain his freedom before he is deported. She also released a statement regarding the situation, claiming the circumstance is a "misunderstanding." Also, LaPolt called her client a "role model."
We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is a role model to the young people in the country -- especially in Atlanta, Georgia and is actively working in the community leading programs to help underprivileged youths in financial literacy.
21 Savage is a best-selling, Grammy-nominated musician who is probably best known for "Rockstar," his popular collaboration with Post Malone. The music awards show is currently slated to take place this upcoming Sunday, and this recent deportation currently puts a dark shadow over what should be a happy, celebratory time for the musician's rising profile. Whether or not this ICE situation will be cleared up by then -- if it's cleared up at all -- remains a question not many expected to ask this week. In any case, 21 Savage's legal team is working diligently, as they noted, to do what they can.
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